Process of producing enriched water gas



5 S i E w. E. TRENT PROCESS PRODUCING ENRI CHED WATER GAS Fil ed June 21, 1921 Eept. 21, 1926.

" cairn-o STATES I I 1,600,315 PATENT/OFFICE.

"WALTER EDWIN TRENT, 0? WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO TRENT PROCESS COBE'ORATION, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, A COR- PROGESS 0F PRODUCING ENRICHED WATER GAS.

Application filed June 21, 1921. Serial No. 479,203.

The invention relates to, a process of producing enriched water gas.

in the prior art oi manufacturing water gas, the generator is generally charged with a large amount of lump coal'or coke which -s subjected to alternate blowing and gas operations until the coal charge 15 argely consumed, whereupon gas making and blowing operations are discontinued until a fresh charge of fuel is supplied. Gas eenerahirs have also been charged with com- 3:1: atively small quantities of lump coal or ooh t more frequent intervals and during makingperiods. These processes, however, have objectionable features, 1n that where bituminous coals in these charges are used, a material portion of the volatile content of the coal is consumed during the blowing operation.

The present invention comprlses a process for producing materially increased amounts f'water gas in standard water gas sets, as

well as enriching the gas with the volatile content of the coal, thereby dispensing with or materially reducing the quantity of Ly drocarbon oil necessary for this'purpose.

it is an object of this invention to introduce fuel to the generator during the gas inciting period and to have the fuel in such a line st-zite of divisionthat its volatile con tent is vaporized or gasiiied during the gas making period. I use at times finely d1- vided coal preferably with an appreciable volatile-content, and at other times an amal consisting of finely divided coal, oil, small amount of water, such as is produced the manner disclosed in my Patent lilo. 1,420,165. When amalgam is used, it "is slowl into the generator in thin streams or ribbons, or in any manner that exposes the greatest possible surface to the heat, so that the volatile contents'vsull be driven 0% during the gas making period.

The volatile content of coal makesa richer than the fixed carbon with the steam. lhat is one reason for getting all the volatiie matter into he gas instead of having part of same, consumed in blowing the generator up to a generating temperature. The volatile or hydrocarbon content oi? the coal therefore enriches the gas and lei" eliminates the use of oil for enriching, 'ls the amount ordinarily necessary. pointed out that when oil must be used it is preferably introduced to the generator with the finely divided coal as an amalgam, instead of in a separate carburetting chamber. WVhen, asin all present practice, the oil is introduced into a separate carburetting chamber, a specially prepared and high priced oil must be used in order to prevent excessive carbon deposits in the checkerwork of the carburetor, but when the oil is introduced with the coal to the generator, cheaper oils can be used because any free carbon resulting from the cracking of the oil is deposited into and becomes a part of the carbon mass and with it is either converted to blue Water gas or consumed in blowing up the tempearture of the genera or.

The carburetor of the usual gas making plant can ordinarily be dispensed with when operating with a fuel consisting of the amalgam, but in following my process I have found that the standard water gas plant including the carburetor may be used,- in which event the carburetor is employed for raisin the temperature of the vapors discharge from the generator to convert them into fixed gases, the carbureter in that case being in effect an auxiliary superheater. If, however, further enrichment is necessary, this can be accomplished by introducing oil to the carburetor.

In the accompanying drawings I have disclosed 'a diagrammatic illustration of one of the standard water gas making sets, which is capable of supportin the present process, although it will be. un erstood that various types of apparatus may be employed.

In the drawings, the figure represents an elevation of an apparatus used for carrying out the process.

Referring now more particularly t0 the drawings, wherein like reference characters sisting of a mixture of fihely comminuted coal, hydrocarbon oil and a small percentage of water, the amalgam being'of a: consistency resembling mortar; The coalused as a fuel may firsthave undergone a cleaning ates a generator which may be of bu rotted J a treatment in a manner dlst'losed in my Patout No. 1,420,165, for the purpose of removing a large portion of the naturalash lea n ing a more pure carbonaceous product for the production of gas.

When the gas plant is placed in ope ation a supply of fuel is introduced to the retort, preferably filling the same to the level indicated by the reference character X. This mass of fuel is brought to the proper tern-- perature for gas lllzllililg by introducing air to the generator through the pipe 4, causing the fuel to be heated to an incandescent state. The air run is discontinued, and then a down run of steam through the pipe 5 preferably takes place. This steam passes through the body of incandescent fuel, is decomposed and forms water gas. By first ha inga down run of steam through the generator, if iinely diyidcd fuel is used, the residue is placed in the form of COli} and united with the fuel bed while the yolatiles are carried through the fuel bed and then discharged. \l'hen the fine particles are incorporated uith the fuel bed, then they will not be disturbed or blown away by a succeeding up run of steam. 'heu an amalgam is used the same usually contains an apprciable percentage of; Water and by first resorting to a down run of steam, steam is generated from this Water, the same being carried through an incandescent fuel bed and decomposed before its discharge. After a down run of steam the supply through the pipe 5 is cut olf and an up run of steam through the pipe 5 takes place. This steam of course is decomposed, forming water gas and then discharged through the pipe (5 to a carburetor, or auxiliary superheater 7, where itmay be carif desirable, or merely passed through the carburetor for the purpose of completing the conversion of the products from the generator into fixed gases, in which event the carburetor in effect arts as a superheater. After the passage of the gases through the carburetor the same then pass into a. superheater 9 and thence to a washing or scrubbing apparatus 10, and finally to a holder.

During each gas nialting period there is introduced to the generator :1 small supply of finely divided fuel, which may be pu verized coal, or an amalgam of coal, oil and a small percentage of Water. Fuel is placed within the feed hopper 12 having arranged therein pressure feeding elements 12' adapted to force the fuel through the narrow feeding nozzles 13 in thin and narrow streams into the generator over the fuel bed. The fuel thus fed, contains exceedingly fine coal particles so that the heat can very quickly and thoroughly penetrate them in a single gas making period, thereby vaporizing the hydrocarbon content of the fuel ee s-"re which is collected with the Water gas, materially enriching the Water gas produced in. the. generator. The produced in the generator comprising both the vaporized volatiles of the small charge of fuel that is fed to the generator during each gas making period and the water gas produced therein pass through the discharge pipe 6 into the carburetor or auxiliary superheater 7 with the water gas, thence to the superheater 9, to the scrubber 10 and are finally collected in a holder. -V hen the introduced. fuel consists of the amalgam of finely divided coal, this amalgam contains approximately 4-0 pounds of oil to 180 pounds of coal and the hydrocarbon contentof this oil and of the coal when vaporized materially enriches the Water gas, tl'iereby sliminatine' the use of oil in the carburetor, or curtailing the amount ordinarily necessary. in the prior art, when Water pi to where oil is introduced in the carbureitinp; chamber are used, specially prepared oil must be used for the purpose of preventing excessive deposits of carbon in the checkerwork of the carburetor. By my process of introducing the oil with the fuel directly to the generator, inc? pensive grades of oil can be used, as any free carbon resulting from the cracking of the oil is deposited into and becomes a part of the carbon fuel hed' if the gas produced s not sutliciently rich for certain purposes, then an additional supply of oil can be introduced into the carburetor in the usual manner for further the gas by conveying gas oil to the. carburetor through the pipe 10'. After a inalo ine' period has been corn noted by the steam blow through the steam "ceding pipes 5 and 5, then this steam supply is cut oif, and an air run through the fuel bed takes place by admitting air under pressure to the genera tor through said air feeding pipe 4, rising the ten'iperature of the fuel for a succeeding gas making period or steam run. ihese alternate blow and gas making periods of course continue successively throughout the operation of the plant.

Each gas making period is of course so short that the coal particles introduced to the generator during each period must be exceedingly fine in order that the heat can penetrate them very quickly. These periods are too short to allow heat penetration the discharge of the volatiles from. lump fuel as practiced in the prior art. miei'i oil is used with the coal in the form of amalgam, this oil is thoroughly filmed over the particles of coal and susceptible of rapid volatilization.

In practicing the invention ll prierahly use coal of a 100 mesh or finer to a square inch, and the amount of coal admitted duringeach charge depends of course uponthe size of the plant in operation. The charges,

however, are limited to such quantities as can be thoroughly penetrated by the heat during the gas making eriod of their introduction, driving off t e volatiles which are collected with the water as and these volatilesai'e therefore absent rom the field of combustion during the succeeding air blow. After each gas making period, a run of air takes place, blowing up the temperature of the fuel in the generator, but inasmuch as the small charge of fuel deposited in the generator preceding the air run has been robbed of its volatiles which have been discharged with the water gas and the residue is converted into fixed carbon or coke,

which becomes a part of the solid fuel mass,

, no material quantity .of the volatiles of the introduced fuel are consumed, but instead they have gone to the gas holder with the water gas enriched thereby.

The amalgam also may contain an appre ciable quantity of water, and in this event the water is decomposed when the amalgam is subjected to heat in the generator so that smaller quantities of steam need be admitted to the steam feeding pipes, which facilitates the production of the water gas. The amal-' gam can be made to contain various percentages of water or moisture, and I have successfully employed an amalgam containingwater ranging from 5 to 50 percent of the amalgam content. Even with this maximum quantity of water, the amalgam will remain in a somewhat plastic condition.

As heretofore stated, I may employ as a fuel, the carbonaceous content of coal which has been largely freed of its natural ash, which carbonaceous material ma be used in a comminuted form or mixe with oil as an amalgam. Fuel of this kind is manifestly very desirable as it permits low grade coal to be employed for s making and eliminates the objectiona le deposits of clinker in the generator also reducing the ash residue to a minimum.

By the terms air blow per1odsand gasmaking periods, as used in the specification and the claims, it is meant that these periods' consist of the usual alternate air and steam runs respectlvelywhich 'are now universallyemployed in the manufacture of water gas. By the word amalgam as used in the specification and claims is meant a sub stance consisting of the finely divided car bonaceous particles, oil and a small percent age of water which are united in a some what plastic mass of a consistency resembling that of mortar.

Havin what I c :laim is: 1

1. The process of producing enriched water gas, consisting in alternately pzniesitu? streams of air and steamthrough a bed of ignited carbonaceous fuel in a generator during a'plurality of successive blow and gas making periods, in decomposing the steam during its passage through the fee bed during each gas making period, in in troduc-ing to said generator during each gas making period a small quantity of a com posite carbonaceous fuel consisting of oil and comminuted carbon in a substantially ribbon like form from which fuel volatiiss are vaporized and mixed with the passing water gas while the carbonaceous residue deposits on the fuel bed before a succeeding air blow at which time the tem erature oi said bed is raised, and in collecting the en riched water gas thus produced.

2. The process of producing enriched water gas, consisting in alternatelypassiug streams of air and steam through a bed of ignited carbonaceous fuel in a generator ,during a plurality of successive blow and gas making periods, in decomposing the steam during its passage through the fuel bed in gas making periods, in introducing to the generator durin eachgas making period a fuel of a. plastic consistency and 111 3 rib bon like form and containing oil, commi nuted coal and water, the volatiles of which are vagprized and mixed with the water gas while t a residue collectson the bed of fuel in the generator as carbon before a succeeding blow period, and in collecting the em richedgases from said generator.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WALTER Enwm TRENT.

thus described the fuivcn'ticm 

